Apparatus for applying body and neck labels to bottles



D. H. FAIREST Aug. 10, 1965 APPARATUS FOR APPLYING BODY AND NECK LABELS TO BOTTLES 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 9, 1962 T NW N m n #A M w N Mn 6 z c BM 0 a dwal L Aug-10,1965 D. H. FAIREST 3 ,200,027

APPARATUS FOR APPLYING BODY AND NECK LABELS TO BOTTLES Filed Oct. 9, 1962 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 I nvenlor Aug. 10, 1965 Q D. H. FAIREST APPARATUS FOR APPLYING BODY AND NECK LABELS TO BOTTLES Filed Oct. 9, 1962 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 Inventor flack 16/2057 y Mafia, 0 1, avg/11144004 orney:

Au 10, 1965 D. H. FAIREST APPARATUS FOR APPLYING BODY AND NECK LABELS TO BOTTLES 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Oct. 9, 1962 In venlor De RM 14 [40?!17 y MIM (we, 610M16 D. H. FAIREST Aug. 10, 1965 APPARATUS FOR APPLYING BODY AND NECK LABELS TO BOTTLES Filed 001;. 9, 1962 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 M Ev Attorneys v1935 D. H. FAIREST 3,200,027

APPARATUS FOR APPLYING BODY AND NECK LABELS T0 BOTTLES Filed Oct. 9, 1962 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 I nvenlor age! i. 5/)67' y 14 07? a/ &/e, w 47:04 Attorneys United States Patent 3,2 l0,tl27 APPARATUS FUR APPLYING EGDY AND NEQK LAEELE T0 BOTTLES Derek H. Fairest, Sheliield, England, assignor to Morgan Fairest Limited Filed Get. 9, N62, Ser. No. 229,381 Claims priority, application Great Eritain, Get. 11, 1951,

36,420/61 2 (Ilaiins. (Cl. 156-449) t an Patented .Aug. 10, 1 .965

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separation in both time and space between the application of the two types of labels, which in turn leads to a further object of eifecting correct relative positioning of the labels on each bottle.

Yet another object of the invention is to make as much use as possible of continuous rotary motion, intermittent rotary motion and simple cam control or" machine parts.

side out by suction, the drum serving to roll the bottles along a concentric pressure member for application of the labels to take place by rolling them from the drum onto the bottles. In one such machine labels can be supplied in alternation round the delivery drum from two separate label stacks, and this machine can be used to apply two different body labels to each bottle, usually with one label diametrically opposite to the other.

The application of a neck label to a rotating bottle is not impossible, but is a difiicult operation, particularly in the case of a neck label that has to embrace a substantial proportion of the periphery of the neck of a bottle, because of the tendency for the label to be misplaced or wrinkled. For such reasons as these, the application of neck labels is usually performed on bottles that do not rotate about their own axes. When a body label is required below a neck label, it is usually to apply the body label simultaneously with the neck label. When a body label is required on the opposite side of the bottle to the neck label, with or without another body label below the neck label, it is necessary to rotate the bottle through 180 between the application of a label (or labels) to one side and the application of a label (or labels) to the other side, and in this case the rate of labelling is much reduced as compared with what is possible when applying two body labels, to opposite sides of a bottle, by rolling.

Labelling machines are also known in which a rotatable feed member bears a number of uniformly spaced presser heads round its periphery downwardly directed toward a bottle support track passing close to a rotary label delivery member, the presser heads being urged toward the support track to clamp bottles fed continuously to the track and hold the bottles firmly as they pass the label delivery member, and later being released from the labelled bottles to permit them to be discharged from the track. The clamping of the bottles firmly by the presser heads prevents the complete application of body labels by rolling, so it has been usual to provide for rotation of the heads about their own axes to bring the bottles into a position inwhich the labels can be pressed to the bottles by shaped pads or wiped to the bottles by brushes disposed to either side of the support track. Neck labels and/or body labels on the opposite sides of the bottles have been applied likewise as a further (or previous) operation in the same machine, by another label delivery member, but the partial rotation of the bottles when receiving the first labels is all against accurate relative positioning of the further labels.

The object of the invention is to provide for the application of neck labels on the opposite sides of bottle to body labels in a machine in which the bottles are rolled for the complete application of the body labels, but without any rolling taking place during the application of the neck labels. Pursuance of this object necessitates a One embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic plan of the machine;

FIGURE 2 is an underneath plan, to a larger scale, of part of the driving mechanism of the machine of FIG- URE 1;

FIGURE-S 3, 4, and 5 are enlarged diagrammatic views of neck-labelling means or" FIGURE 1 at different stages of operation;

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged diagrammatic view of body labelling means of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged vertical section taken on the line VIIVII of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 8 is a horizontal section taken on the VlIIVlII of FIGURE 7;

FIGURE 9 is an enlarged view of the right-hand side of FIGURE 7;

FIGURE 10 is a plan of the top part of FIGURE 9;

FIGURE 11 is an enlarged vertical section taken on the line Xl'XI of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 12 is a largely-sectional plan of the neckla'belling means of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 13 is a vertical section taken on the irregular line XIII-XIII of FIGURE 12; and

FIGURE 14 is an elevation of part of FIGURE 12 viewed in the direction of the arrow XIV.

In FIGURE 1, a pedestal 1 has a conveyor 2 running along one side and feeding from the right-hand end bottles 3 to a star wheel 4, which directs the bottles in spaced relationship to a continuously rotating feed member 5, from which the bottles are later directed to the left-hand end or" the conveyor 2 by a rotary table 6.

The feed member 5 moves the bottles in an orbital path to the periphery of a delivery drum 7 (see also FIG- URE 6) of well-known type for presenting to the bottles front and back body labels A, B respectively held to the drum, gumrned face out, by suction opening in the durm. The mechanism for presenting the labels A, B to the drum 7 is also of well-known type and consists of label stack-s 8A, 833 from which the labels are extracted by gum applied to the apertured sides of pick-up boxes 9A, 913 by gumming devices 10A, 10B, transfer of the labels from the boxes to the drum being effected by continuously orbiting suction transfer fingers 11A, 11B, which contact and hold the labels A, B by the ungummed central strips on their gumrned faces, and are maintained substantially parallel to the tangents to the periphery of the drum 7 at theirpoistions of nearest approach to the drum, so that take-over of the labels by the drum takes place progressively and smoothly. The bottles 3 are pressed between the drum '7 and a pressure member 12 concentric with the drum, for the labels A, B, to be applied to the bottles by the consequent rolling action.

' A drum 13 and a further pressure member 14 effect further rolling of the bottles (see also FIGURE 11), to ensure that the side edges of the labels are adhering fully to the bottles before they return to the conveyor 2.

The bottles 3 are delivered by the star wheel 4 on to a support track consisting of a table 15 rotating with the feed member 5, which is driven by a centre shaft 16, driven in turn through suitable gears and shafts from a reduction gearbox 17 (FIGURE 2) having an input drive through a clutch pulley 18 connected to a motor (not shown), a main shaft 19 providing for drives to line the drum 7, stacks 8A, 8B, pick-up boxes 9A, 9B, gumming devices 10A, 10B and transfer fingers 11A, 1113. A shaft affords a drive to neck-labelling means, which will be described presently.

As shown by FIGURES 1, 7, 9 and 10, the feed member 5 carries twelve uniformly spaced presser heads 21 each urged downwardly by a spring 21, so as to move towards the table 15 when not held in raised position (FIGURE 11) by a cam lever 23 engaging a cam rail 24. Delivery of the bottles 3 to the feed member 5 by the star wheel/t is timed so that release of a cam lever 23 from the end of the rail 24 above the star wheel causes the bottle encounters the delivery drum 7. The neck-labelling mechanism comprises a reciprocating stack 25 (see also FIGURES 3 to 5 and FIGURES 12 and 14) from which neck labels C are extracted by gum applied to the apertured sides of a pick-up box 26 (see also FIGURE 13) intermittently rotatable on a horizontal axis from a gumrning device 27 by a transfer roller 28, the labels C being removed from the pick-up box 26 by means of a transfer device 29 having two continuously orbiting suction transfer fingers 3t), which contact and hold the labels C by the ungummed central strips on their gummed-faces, and are maintained parallel to the position in which they are removed from the box by epicyclic gearing 32, to enable each finger 30 to pass through the gap between a pair of flaps 33 and leave a label C, held across the gap by suction applied to the non-gummed face, in advance of each approaching bottle 3. The flaps 33 are mounted on near-vertical pivots 34 and horizontal pivots 35 on brackets 36 (see particularly FIG- URES 7 and 9) to lie transversely, i.e. radially, to the path of the bottles 3, for the gummed face of the label to face the oncoming bottle neck. The neck is forced through the flaps, to take the label C from them and to have the wings of the label wiped to the sides of the neck by the flaps, which are able to assume the required inclination progressively as the neck passes between them, because of the mounting on the pivots 34, 35. The flaps are spring-loaded (by springs not shown) towards the position shown in FIGURE 3, in which they receive each neck label from one or other of the, fingers 3th. The neck of the bottle 3 bearing the neck label C passes between a pair of wiper brushes 37 for further wiping of the wings of the label to the sides of the neck to ensure that the ends of the wings of the neck label are adhering to the bottle when it reaches the delivery drum.

FIGURE 9 also shows another pair of flaps 38 in broken line, which may be provide for application of a front body label D simultaneously with the neck label C, so as to be in perfect alignment therewith, instead of applying a front body label A by means of the drum 7, which is then used only for applying the back body label B the alignment of which absolutely opposite the front body label and neck label is not normally essential.

Having dealt with the operation of the machine, attention is now drawn to some constructional features, with particular reference to adjustment of the position, i.e., height, of the neck labels on the bottles and to adjustment for different nominal heights of bottle.

Referring mainly to FIGURES- 11 to 14, the pick-up box 26 is overhung from a horizontal shaft 39 and has only two sides 40 with apertures 41, each side receiving gum as it moves past the gum transfer roller 28, extracting a neck label C from the stack 25 by means of the gum when brought to rest at that side of the box, and

presenting the label to one of the transfer fingers 30 when brought to rest at the other side of thebox. Each finger 30 engages the non gummed face of a label C in this position and holds it by suction, as the finger pushes the label through the aperture 41 to the inside of the box and then passes substantially edgewise out'through the open end of the box to the flaps 33. The stack 25, box 26 and gumming device 27 are all carried by a gearbox 42 slidable vertically in a bracket 43 on the pedestal 1, the drive for the gearbox being taken from a vertical shaft 44 which is geared to the shaft 2t) (FIGURE 2). The drive is transmitted to a horizontal shaft 45 driving a reciprocating mechanism 46 for the stack 25, and the shaft 45 also drives an intermittent drive mechanism 47 to the shaft 39 carrying the box 26, and a shaft 43 for the gurnming device 27. The transfer device 29 is also carried by the gearbox 42, being driven about a stationary shaft 49 by gearing and chain drive 50 from the shaft 44. Adjustment of the height of the neck-labelling means to suit the required neck label position is effected by a handle 51 (FIGURE 1 only) and screw 52 for raising or lowering the gearbox 42 in the bracket 43;

As shown in FIGURE 7, a dr-ive'shaft 53 (see also FIGURE 2) drives the centre shaft 16 for the feel member 5, and the table 15 through gearing 54, a chain drive 55 being taken oif to the rotary table 6 and another chain drive 55A, 5613 (see also FIGURE 11) to the drum 13. Screw-and-nut mechanism 57 is operated by arms 58 for effecting height adjustment of the feed member 5 to suit different nominal'heights of bottle, the feed member being secured in adjusted position by a locking device 59.

The delivery drum 7 is preferably provided with the usual means (not shown) for orientation about its driving axis, to provide for adjustment of the positions of a front body label A and a back body label B at the instant the drum is encounteredby a bottle to receive those labels to obtain the correct phase relationship with the presser heads 21 and to deal with therequirements of different nominal body diameters of bottles within the size capacity of the machine, with particular reference to the requirement for the neck labels C to be in close alignment with the front body labels A.

Although but one embodiment of the invention has herein been disclosed by way of example, it is to be understood that the invention is broadly inclusive of any and all modifications falling within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim: V V

1. A bottle-labelling machine of the type in which body labels are presented to a spaced succession of hottles by a rotary delivery drum to which the labels are held, gummed side out, by suction openings in the drum, the drum serving to roll the bottles along a concentric pressure member for complete application of the'labels to take place by rolling them from the drum onto the bottles, provided with a rotatable feed member of the type bearing a number of uniformly-spaced downwardlydirected presser heads round its periphery for clamping bottles supplied to a support track, and characterized by the presser heads and the support track passing close to the periphery of the delivery drum at the peripheral speed of the delivery drum, and by means for presenting a neck label across the path of each bottle in advance of the position at which the bottle encounters the delivery drum, with the gummed side of the label facing the oncoming bottle, means for wiping the neck labels to the bottles before they encounter the delivery drum, and means for releasing the presser heads from the bottles immediately before each bottle encounters the delivery drum, and also characterized in that the presserheads are non-notatable with respect to their own axes.

2. A bottle-labelling machine of'the type in which body labels are presented to a spaced succession of bottles by a rotary delivery drum to which the labels are held,

5 gummed side out, by suction openings in the drum, the

drum serving to roll the bottles along a concentric pressure member for complete application of the labels to take place by rolling them from the drum onto the bottles, provided with a rotatable feed member of the type bearing a number of uniformly-spaced downwardly-directed presser heads round its periphery for clamping bottles supplied to a rotatable support table, and characterized by the presser heads and the support table passing close to the periphery of the delivery drum at the peripheral speed of the delivery drum, and by necklabel presenting means mounted in advance of the position at which the bottles encounter the delivery drum, the neck-label presenting means being of the type having two flaps normally lying transversely to the path of bottles on the support track, with the flaps mounted on generally upright pivots on each side of the path of the bot-tles and provided with suction openings facing toward the oncoming bottles to hold the non-gummed face of a 6 neck-label and press the wings of the label to the sides of the neck of a bottle forced through the flaps, and means for releasing the presser heads from the bottles immediately before each bottle encounters the delivery drum, and also characterized in that the presser heads are non-rotatable with respect to their own axes.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,773,617 12/56 Weiss 156-449 XR 2,788,150 4/57 Rose 156444 XR 2,862,638 12/58 Banks 156449 3,001,660 9/61 Carter 156 444 3,116,193 12/63 Ehlenbeck 156476 XR 3,159,522 12/64 Schmidt 156476 XR EARL M. BERGERT, Primary Examiner. 

1. A BOTTLE-LABELLING MACHINE OF THE TYPE IN WHICH BODY LABELS ARE PRESENTED TO A SPACED SUCCESSION OF BOTTLES BY A ROTARY DELIVERY DRUM TO WHICH THE LABELS ARE HELD, GUMMED SIDE OUT, BY SUCTION OPENINGS IN THE DRUM, THE DRUM SERVING TO ROLL THE BOTTLES ALONG A CONCENTRIC PRESSURE MEMBER FOR COMPLETE APPLICATION OF THE LABELS TO TAKE PLACE BY ROLLING THEM FROM THE DRUM ONTO THE BOTTLES, PROVIDED WITH A ROTATABLE FEED MEMBER OF THE TYPE BEARING A NUMBER OF UNIFORMLY-SPACED DOWNWARDLYDIRECTED PRESSER HEADS ROUND ITS PERIPHERY FOR CLAMPING BOTTLES SUPPLIED TO A SUPPORT TRACK, AND CHARACTERIZED BY THE PRESSURE HEADS AND THE SUPPORT TRACK PASSING CLOSE TO THE PERIPHERY OF THE DELIVERY DRUM AT THE PERIPHERAL SPEED OF THE DELIVERY DRUM, AND BY MEANS FOR PRESENTING A NECK LABEL ACROSS THE PATH OF EACH BOTTLE IN ADVANCE OF THE POSTION AT WHICH THE BOTTLE ENCOUNTERS THE DELIVERY DRUM, WITH THE GUMMED SIDE OF THE LABEL FACING THE ONCOMING BOTTLE, MEANS FOR WIPING THE NECK LABELS TO THE BOTTLES BEFORE THEY ENCOUNTER THE DELIVERY DRUM, AND MEANS FOR RELEASING THE PRESSER HEADS FROM THE BOTTLES IMMEDIATELY BEFORE EACH BOTTLE ENCOUNTERS THE DELIVERY DRUM, AND ALSO CHARACTERIZED IN THAT THE PRESSER HEADS ARE NON-NOTATABLE WITH RESPECT TO THEIR OWN AXES. 